When I’m not listening to audio books during my daily commute, you’ll usually find me tuned into a history podcast. Over the year I’ve sampled quite a few, but I’ve narrowed my regular listening down to two that I always look forward to new releases. Both are meticulously researched, engagingly presented and have introduced me to fascinating people, places, and events that I might never have discovered on my own.

If you are a fellow history enthusiast looking for something new to add to your playlist, I think you’ll enjoy these as much as I do.

History That Doesn’t Suck is a bi-weekly, story-driven American podcast hosted by Professor Greg Jackson, a tenured professor at Utah Valley University. It delivers rigorously researched, source-based narratives tracking the United States from the American Revolution through the 20th century, aiming to make academia engaging and accessible.

Each episode begins with “I’d like to tell you a story” (which he does) before delving into the topic. To date I have listened to the podcast series from Episode 1, the few years prior to the American Revolution, up to the 1920s, and still have more to dig into.

Professor Greg Jackson also has live event tours, and I was fortunate enough to see him at The Ark in Ann Arbor in January 2025.

One of the (many) things I admire about him is that, in his storytelling, there is no bias. He explores America without shying away from ‘true history’, including slavery, and does an incredible job of showing the humanness of people without painting them as either saints or villains. He also places no emphasis on, and refuses to get into the fray of, today’s political climate on either side. While it’s clear from where he lives and teaches, he’s a Conservative, his recounting of history is authentic and impartial. He views America merely as an American.

Fun fact, on the day of his show in Ann Arbor a serious blizzard had developed and I braved the elements to drive there because I knew I couldn’t miss it. The commute home after the show, normally a 45-minute trip, took over 2-1/2 hours and when I got off the expressway, I ran over a shard from a snowplow machine which caused one of my tires to deflate at an alarming rate. And I still don’t regret the risks. He did not disappoint.

Hosted by Beckett Graham and Susan Vollenweider, The History Chicks is a bi-weekly podcast launched in 2011 that explores the lives of remarkable women throughout “herstory”, spanning from ancient times to the modern era. Each roughly one-hour episode provides a deep, conversational biography of a single historical figure.

The chemistry between these two friends is clearly evident and their enthusiasm for storytelling is infectious. Another well-researched and entertaining choice for history fans.

Their tag line sums it up succinctly: “Any resemblance to a boring old history lesson is completely coincidental.